Tag Archives: Route 66

One of the joys of a Route 66 trip is the multitude of quirky road side attractions. Those slightly crazy oddities along the way that add so much to your trip.

There are way too many to feature in one post, so here are some of our favourites (from East to West).

1. The Gemini Giant, Wilmington IL

Originally an advertising gimmick, this big guy stands tall and proud outside the now closed Launching Pad Restaurant. He is probably the most famous of all the original ‘Muffler Men’ who now reside on Route 66 (others are in Atlanta IL and Springfield IL, although there are many more dotted around the US). You can’t miss him as you drive through Wilmington. As you can see from the picture, he is pretty tall!

2. The Murals in Pontiac IL

There are more than 20 murals in this charming town in Illinois, and the Route 66 shield is one of the oldest. The murals vary in subject from vintage signage to a shark on the street (yup, I’m not kidding – check it out here.) Pontiac is a great town to stop off, grab a coffee and stretch your legs with a mural tour. Murals are really common on Route 66. Another notable example is Cuba, Missouri – which has a ‘mural city’ of its own.

3. The World’s Largest Rocking Chair, Fanning MO

This wondrous giant is situated at the Fanning Route 66 Outpost in Missouri and stands over 42ft tall. Its one drawback is that it doesn’t rock (!), but you can’t deny that it’s pretty big (it holds the Guinness Record!). Of course, it is for one purpose only, to make you stop and buy stuff at the (brilliant) store that sits next to it – but the old road specialises in the unusual and it has become one of the greats of Route 66.

4. Gary’s ‘Gay Parita’, Paris Springs MO

Now I’ll be honest, I have no idea why it is called that! But Gary, the owner, who has kept this gas station alive (although it no longer sells gas) was brilliant. Full of great conversation, interesting stories and a fascinating place that he showed us around, this was one of the best stops on the whole trip for us. A true taste of what Route 66 is all about. Unfortunately, Gary passed away a few weeks ago (early 2015) so I’m not sure what will happen to his place now. If you come across it on your trips, let us know. Rest in Peace Gary…one of the world’s gems.

5. The Blue Whale of Catoosa, Catoosa OK

Originally intended as an anniversary gift, it became a rest spot for families whose children would slide down into the water and jump off his tail. This incredible giant sits by a still lake in a shady spot moments off the hot highway. It is such a restful place and well worth stopping by to catch your breath. It has become one of Route 66’s most famous icons, and rightly so.

6. 190ft Cross, Groom TX

This incredible structure is located in Groom, one of the first towns you come to in Texas on Route 66, in the middle of the Bible Belt. Standing at 190ft tall, this cross (not quite the tallest in the world) is surrounded by stations of the cross telling the story of the Crucifixion. Whatever your faith stance, this is an incredibly peaceful place. We thought it would be tacky and awkward, but somehow, they have pulled off a reflective environment which came at a welcome time after a long day on the road.

7. The Big Texan, Amarillo TX

If you’re looking for tacky, you got it! In an awesome kind of way. The Big Texan , a restaurant and motel (which we stayed in – and it was great) offers the famous 72oz steak, which you get free if you can eat it and all the trimmings in 1 hour (the record is just under 5 minutes…HOW???). It’s great fun here, with live music, fun decor and a massive cowboy boot. What more do you want?

8. Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo TX

Ok, so Cadillac Ranch is not technically on Route 66. So I’ve cheated a little bit, but it’s so worth seeing. This unusual piece of art (which doesn’t look the same in any photo you find of it as people are encouraged to spray paint the cars!) was created in 1974 by an art group called ‘Ant Farm’, and consists of various models of Cadillac, nose down in the earth at the same angle as the Pyramids. Obviously. It’s the angle I would have gone for too.

9. Giant 66 Shield, Winslow AZ

This little town in Arizona is a real find. Set off the I-40, it offers the usual mix of gift shop tack, coffee shops and Route 66 icons – here, they offer a tribute to the Eagle’s song ‘Standing on the Corner’, and some murals creating the illusion of a shop front – but the best in my opinion is the massive Route 66 shield smack bang in the centre of the town. Totally worth risking getting run over to get a photo in the road for!

10. Meteor Crater, Winslow AZ

Just along the road from Winslow lies this incredible wonder. It’s just under a mile in diameter and 570ft deep, and was created around 50,000 years ago by a meteorite. The scale of the thing is almost impossible to comprehend when you’re there, and it is definitely worth seeing. In the centre, there is a 6ft American flag, which you need binocluars to see. Seriously, this is enormous!

11. Angel’s Barber Shop, Seligman AZ

This is THE stop on the route. Located beyond Flagstaff and Williams at the start of a glorious isolated loop of original Route 66 that takes you far from the Interstate, the little town of Seligman is the home of Angel Delgadillo. If it wasn’t for this humble barber, there probably wouldn’t be much left of Route 66 at all. After the road was decommisioned in 1985, Angel started the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona. Since then, all 8 States that the route passes through have their own association. We didn’t meet Angel the day we visited. It’s best to aim for the morning, then you may get a chance to meet him. Now in his 80s, he goes home at lunchtime, but still cuts hair! What a winner!

12. Oatman, AZ

This whole town is the epitome of Route 66. Once a thriving mining town, it suffered terribly when the Interstate came along, became run down and deserted, then began to come alive again in a completely different way. Famous for its wild burros who roam the streets (and are very friendly), a gun fight is staged at noon and the hotel (no longer a place to stay) serves up huge lunches with a smile. No one lives here anymore – they simply come to serve the tourists every day. And yet there is a great atmosphere, good food, and it makes for a really fun stop off before you cross into California.

So there we have it. These were our favourite roadside stops along the road. There are hundreds more, and I haven’t even started on the cafes and restaurants that adorn the highway…that is for a separate post. For now, we’d love to hear what your favourite places were…or where you dream of visiting one day!

“…Flagstaff, Arizona…Don’t forget Winona…Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino…”. So goes the famous song.

Except we had forgotten Winona.

In our excitement to take that massive detour to Monument Valley, we had missed a section of Route 66 that we had to loop back on.

As if the previous day hadn’t been busy enough (you can read about it here), we decided that a trip to Lowell Observatory was in order for our evening in Flagstaff, so after our marvellous Italian meal we set off in the dark to look at the stars. It was fab. And I touched an actual meteor (trust me, I was genuinely excited).

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The following morning we set off East, headed towards Winslow. And how pleased we were that we had. We found a lovely, friendly little town, with small coffee shops and an ENORMOUS Route 66 shield on the road at the main intersection. True 66 magic. We chatted to a chap sat outside the (also enormous) gift shop for a while, took a few snaps and soaked up the peaceful atmosphere of this small town just minutes from the I-40.

We were back on track now…headed West on I-40 (which is now laid on top of the original Route 66 – so there is no choice but to use it). There was another stop just minutes up the road…one that predates Route 66 by, oh…around 50,000 years.

A meteor travelling at about 26,000 mph hit what is now Arizona, leaving a crater 1 mile wide and nearly 600ft deep. We had to see it. As with everything in the States, it has been ‘visitorified’ (that is a new word that I just made up). You pay to see it, and there is a gift shop and cafe. However, it is an awe-inspiring sight. The scale is almost impossible to fathom and it certainly reminded us once more of how small and relatively insignificant we are in the context of the entire universe.

Onwards and westwards. We left the Interstate again just before Winona (we mustn’t forget it!). There is very little to remember about tiny Winona though. I think it was included in the song for rhyming purposes rather than any memorable feature. It may have carried thousands of vehicles through towards Flagstaff in the long distant past, but those days are long gone. There are a few residential houses and an old bridge which is now inaccessible. And that is about it.

We cruised on around Flagstaff and onto Williams, the only place we had actually been before the previous year. We were keen to stop here as it was one of our favourite places from our honeymoon. We arrived in the evening in 2012, and little Williams came alive, with music coming from each of the many bars, classic diners and gift stores. It was warm and friendly and we were excited about stopping here again EXACTLY a year after we had left.

This time, we arrived in the afternoon, and there was a harder feel to the place. The sun was beating down on the tarmac, and people were hidden away inside to find shade. We found the lovely bar where we had whiled away a couple of happy hours 12 months before and sat down for a coffee. Unfortunately, we were practically ignored. No one took our order or said hi. We had to call for attention several times. We definitely felt disappointed.

We drank our coffee and re-created a couple of photos from the year before. And therein lay our problem. Our memory of the place came out of the fact that it was merely a stop off on our way to the Grand Canyon. We were expecting a bed for the night and instead we got a lively fun place on Historic Route 66 and a lovely evening filled with music and laughter. We anticipated it to feel the same in 2013…but it didn’t. I guess you always have to allow a place to be what it is, and not force it to be what you want it to be. Sometimes, memories are best left as just that.

All that said, Williams is still a lovely little place, and well worth a stop off. It claims to be the last place bypassed by the I-40 and clings very firmly to its Route 66 history. We really wanted a go on the steam train that leaves Williams once a day for the Grand Canyon, but time was against us.

After Williams, the Route 66 is synonymous with I-40, so off we went until we reached the huge arc of old road north of the interstate that leads to the town of Seligman. And this is where the modern story of Route 66 all began.

In 1987, Angel Delgadillo – who was born in Seligman in 1927 and witnessed of the rise and fall of Route 66 – set up the Historic Route 66 Association whose sole aim is to sign and preserve the Old Road. Since then, Associations have started in all 8 states along the route, and Angel has become something of a star in 66 circles. People flock to his barber shop in Seligman in the hope of meeting him. He is known as the ‘Guardian of Route 66’ and whilst he is now in his 80s, he still cuts hair in his salon.

We didn’t have the good fortune to meet him, but we had a good look around at his shop, full of artifacts and things he has collected over the years. Part of the reason that we like to travel is to ‘make memories’, and Angel understands how important it is to remember. Thanks in part to him, our trip was made a reality. Whilst Winona was less than memorable, and Williams didn’t live up to the place that is permanently etched in our minds, there was plenty more on this leg of the journey that will remain with us for many years to come.

By now, the sun was low in the sky and the air was noticeably cooler. Driving West as the sun sets isn’t easy so, rather reluctantly, we set off. We would have loved more time to spend in Seligman but a hot meal and a bed for the night was waiting for us in Kingman, our final stop in Arizona before crossing the mountains into California. We bid farewell to Angel’s place, grateful for his legacy and excited about what lay ahead.

A detour in the UK would be perhaps popping around the corner to see a friend on the way around the M25, or maybe stopping off to get some eggs after work. On a US roadtrip, a detour is more like, oh, I don’t know, 500 miles to see Monument Valley.

But it is SO worth it!

Monument Valley. One of the most recognisable sights of the USA. Made famous from countless movies and glorious panoramas, it does not disappoint.

Part of the Colorado Plateau and the Navajo Territory, it sits around the Arizona and Utah border, and as you drive north on US 163, the majestic nature of this incredible landscape begins to dawn on you.

This is the very road that Forrest Gump (on a personal note, my favourite film of all time) decides to stop running after 3 years on the tarmac.

And having been ‘crowned’ a Forrest Gump Genius at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in Santa Monica (the trophy, a balloon), I am thoroughly disappointed in myself that I didn’t know THIS sign existed along the road:

Gutted.

Anyhow, whilst Monument Valley was a huge diversion from our Route 66 trip, we were so glad we went. It truly is remarkable. And a little like the Grand Canyon, words can’t really describe it effectively. You have to go, feel it, see it, soak it up, and come away richer for having been there.

You can take all sorts of tours and trips down to the valley floor, and there is a sweet little gift shop where you can buy cowboy hats, gems (unrelated, as far as I could tell, to Monument Valley), and a wide variety of John Wayne merchandise. Obviously.

Once we had spent a good hour staring in silent wonder at the ‘Mittens’ as they’re called, played around with some fun photos, climbed some rocks, bought the obligatory fridge magnet from the gift shop, and consoled ourselves over the fact that we didn’t have more time to explore, we set off even further off course.

Now, I’m the kind of person that enjoys a novelty, something that you can’t do anywhere else. And we couldn’t go within 100 miles of a gimmicky tourist attraction without stopping by could we? Such is the scale of things in the US – you think that 100 miles is close. It’s like driving from Nottingham to London just to sit on the ground, take a picture and head back.

So you ‘pop’ to Four Corners.

Four Corners is the only place in the US (and I found it hard to believe so wasted a good amount of time trying to find another example on the map) that four States join together in their corners. It’s like a State line on steroids – you can hop between not 2 but FOUR states. How much fun is that?

I’ve always been attracted to such things.

Standing either side of the Greenwich Meridian Line with one foot in the Western Hemisphere and one foot in the Eastern.

Jumping from New Mexico to Texas and back again across the State line.

Lying with half of my body in Austria and half in Italy.

I could go on. It fills me with an inexplicable excitement to be able to be in 2 places at once, so as you can imagine, Four Corners blew my mind (I may or may not be exaggerating!). And besides, it meant that I could tick off Colorado as a ‘State I have been to’ in my quest to visit all 50 States in my lifetime (don’t panic, Colorandans, if that is what I should call you. I don’t for one minute think that Four Corners is the totality of what your State has to offer. We will be back!).

Here we are, with my bottom firmly in 4 States all at once (no rude comments please).

We walked all around the circle, visiting 4 States in 1 minute, breaking a law in New Mexico and seconds later being out of its jurisdiction in Colorado (I’m kidding, people). Of course, I spent most of my time at the monument in Colorado. Mega excitement. The other States were old hat. Been there, done that, got the fridge magnet. Colorado was a new frontier! An exciting development – not to mention a whole new State to scratch off on my ‘Scratch Map’.

So for me, the 200 mile round trip from Monument Valley was well worth it. But I’m a little bit strange like that.

Now, after leaving our base in Chinle AZ more than 500 miles ago, onward to Flagstaff. Back to the Mother Road, and what turned out to be possibly the best Italian meal we have ever had. Our sat-nav instructed us, “In 154 miles, turn right.”

Ah, New Mexico. Land of Enchantment. Route 66 in New Mexico offers a choice of routes – you can either carry along straight from the Texas State line to Albuquerque, or you can head north to Santa Fe and back down to Albuquerque and pick up the route there.

If you’re on a shorter trip (2 weeks) and aren’t staying in Santa Fe, it may be better to try the more direct route to Albuquerque. Here are some of our top tips for making the most of the Land of Enchantment.

1. Take the Gravel Stretch

This 18 mile stretch of Old Old road lies between Glenrio (the last town in Texas) and San Jon (pronounced ‘hone’). The tarmac was ripped up on purpose to force people onto the Interstate. You have to go slow here – but it’s a great ride, and gives you a whole different perspective of how travelling would have been all those years ago. You’ve got to do this section!

2. Stay in an iconic Route 66 Motel in Tucumcari

Motel Safari is a great little motel. Founded in 1959, it has been serving travellers of the Mother Road since then. With the proper forecourt outside and each room opening onto it directly with its own parking spot, it feels really authentic. It’s clean and modern on the inside and the owner is really friendly. There is even a shuttle bus (free, plus a tip of course!) to a local restaurant (Pow Wow’s). There are murals of Elvis and various other Tucumcari and Route 66 icons dotted around this little town close to the motel. It’s also home to the famous Blue Swallow Motel, which books up really quickly, so needs to be booked well in advance!

3. Get a train driver to honk the horn!

Ok, so technically you can do this along the route in many places, but the long roads running so close to the railroad track in New Mexico lend themselves so well to this exhilarating (if not childish) pursuit. If you have never played this game before, it is simple and (for some unknown reason) immensely satisfying when you get a result. Not all train drivers will oblige so persevere 🙂 .

Instructions (pay attention as this is the tough bit):

a) Roll down window, b) Extend arm out of window, c) Imagine you are the train driver pulling on the horn and mime the action as the train engine rolls past you, d) Let out a whoop of joy and celebration as that wonderful ‘whhhhhooooeeeooooooheeeooohh’ sounds out for all to hear.

If there was anyone around. Which there isn’t. But it was fun anyway, right? YOU did that. YOU made that happen. Ah the simple joys of life on the road!

4. Drive straight to Albuquerque & grab some lunch at a roadside diner

Let’s face the reality here. Driving Route 66 in 2 weeks is a bit of a push – especially if you want to see as much of the authentic road as you can. There are a lot of long drives and here you have the option of a very long drive up to Albuquerque via Santa Fe. Of course, you can stay in Santa Fe – but it’s a bit more pricey and you will really need to add another night to your hotel bill. Going straight to Albuquerque allows you to slow the pace somewhat – take your time, look around, play silly games with train drivers – you know, that kind of thing. Both routes are faithful to Route 66, so don’t worry about betraying the road! And besides, then you can:

5. Get the train (the Railrunner) up to Santa Fe

This is a great thing to do. Not only do you get a break from driving, experience train travel in the States, rub shoulders with the locals, miss out on all the traffic jams and get to see some pueblos belonging to the Navajo tribe – but you get to see Santa Fe, the State capital of New Mexico. There were virtually no tourists on this train. It was all local people heading off to work, school or college. We met Pete, a grandfather who had taken care of his granddaughter as if she were his own for years – he was so proud of her – and he had some stories to tell. He was one of those people who had been everywhere and done everything, yet was really down to earth and humble, and so so friendly. He couldn’t help us enough and gave us a running commentary of the history and culture on our way up to Santa Fe.

And the train company have got it right! It was $10 each return. That’s less than £6! The time on the train was the equivalent of Nottingham to London, and was almost 10 times cheaper! There was a little button at the platform that you could press and seconds later, a tinny voice asked if they could help…and they could! It was so refreshing – British companies need to take note!

Seeing as you’ve gone to all that effort to get to Santa Fe, it’s only right that you…

6. Wander around the State Capital of New Mexico

That’s right…I said WANDER. Santa Fe is one of the few American cities that you can walk around with ease. It’s the oldest capital city in the States, and as such has narrow little streets, and far smaller and fewer cars than most other cities. It’s quite European in feel, and is full of little boutique shops selling pricy art and clothing. The architecture is a real mixture of Spanish/European styles and the traditional Adobe structures of the Native Americans. The church pictured above is the San Miguel Chapel, apparently the oldest church in the United States with its adobe walls constructed in the 1600s. There are many lovely restaurants to choose from and you can sit outside in the ambient temperatures well into late September.

7. Explore Albuquerque Old Town

Much like Santa Fe, the Old Town district is very Spanish in style, yet with a Native American twist. Radiating out from the central Plaza (where live music is played from a very European looking bandstand), it is a very relaxing environment to shop, have an ice-cream or a meal and watch the world go by. Albuquerque itself is the most populated city in New Mexico and is made up of several different districts. I would suggest trying to get a hotel as near to Route 66/Old Town as you can – travel is easy by car, but the roads are BUSY! Pop down to Old Town in the evening – the shops are open until around 8pm and it’s very peaceful there away from the hustle and bustle of the newer parts of town.

8. Have brunch at the 66 Diner in Albuquerque

This was the BEST diner we ate at. The food was great, but it was the atmosphere that made it for us. There were people queuing when we arrived at 11am (it opens later on a weekend) and with good reason. There were classic 1950s tunes playing, the decor was brilliant and the staff were excellent (and dressed in 1950s attire). When we asked if there was wifi available, the reply was, “Not in the 1950s”. Authentic to the last! The apple pie was to die for. We asked to share one, so they put double the amount on one plate – only in America!

There are many other things that are wonderful about a journey across New Mexico on Route 66. Too many to mention here. These are just a few of our tips for a short visit. It is so worth spending more than 2 weeks on the road in order to get the full flavour of each State. But most importantly, DO this trip. It’s amazing!

If you can’t stretch to a Route 66 trip just yet, you can buy our photographs to help with the dreaming here.

Texas has a reputation amongst us Brits as being huge – it is 3 times the size of our entire country (yet the UK has nearly 2.5 times more people living there!). It’s the 2nd biggest US State (Alaska is even bigger) and has the 2nd largest population (after California). I guess the notoriety of Texas was aided by countless Western movies and, of course, the TV series ‘Dallas’.

So you can imagine our excitement as we woke up in Oklahoma (which, by the way, we did not do justice due to our late arrival and the fact that it was our wedding anniversary), knowing that we were heading towards the Lone Star State.

We set off from our hotel and promptly got utterly and horribly lost. Turns out finding our way to Amarillo wasn’t going to as easy as we first thought!

We headed in what seemed like a sensible direction (West), but to no avail. We went round and round the same section of Interstate 40 trying to figure out where on earth we had to get off to join 66 again but no joy. In the end, we pulled off at any old junction where we could park in a side road to check the map and figure things out. We had been on the road for an hour already!

We parked up, read all our documents, checked the sat nav, turned the maps this way and that way. We could NOT make sense of it. AT ALL! We sat back in the car, exasperated. I looked up to check out our surroundings. The street sign ahead said NW 23rd Street – hang on a minute – I’m sure the EZ66 said that we needed to be on that street! I rustled through the pages of the guidebook and sure enough: ‘Stay on NW 23rd Street for 2mi to May Avenue’. Whoop Whoop! We had accidentally found ourselves exactly where we needed to be. Thank goodness.

Relieved, we set off and were back on track. By now, though, we really needed a toilet stop. But we were out of the city now and there was nowhere around. As I was looking around for possible ‘restroom options’, I glanced over at a big lake – and spied a portaloo! Oh, praise be! We pulled over by what turned out to be Lake Overholser (actually a reservoir) and took advantage of the rudimentary facilities…and the peaceful view over the lake.

Relieved (in a slightly different way this time), we set off through the towns of El Reno, Weatherford and Elk City with a brief stop at the Route 66 Museum in desperate need of a coffee. They didn’t sell coffee.

We continued on through Oklahoma passing many a derelict motel and cafe that in days gone by would have warmly greeted us with hot coffee and friendly atmosphere.

Still caffeine and sugar deprived, we arrived in Texola, the last town in Oklahoma before you cross into Texas. Now this town really is empty. Not quite a ghost town – apparently in the 2010 census there were 36 residents. On the main street through the town, there is very little by way of attractions. However, we were people in need of coffee and in all honesty, pie – and Texola had it. So we stopped at a little place (actually called the ‘Tumbleweed Grill and Country Store‘) in the ‘Water Hole #2 building.

There was a lady and her dog (Licker – or Liquor – we weren’t sure which). The lady didn’t say much but gladly sold us a cup of coffee and some beautiful American Apple Pie. We were so ready for it. The shop is a fascinating little place. You should definitely stop by. Full of little knick knacks, Americana, souvenirs and pieces of art that the lady there had made herself.

There really is no place like Texola, even if it is a little sad that this once thriving Route 66 town has been reduced to what it is today. I guess it is this same fact that lends it its charm.

Revived once more, we left Oklahoma and crossed the state line into Texas – the Lone Star State. We were staying at the Big Texan Motel in Amarillo, and it was at this point that we realised with great disappointment that we were utterly unprepared musically for this section of our trip.

Before we left, I had downloaded every Route 66 album known to man, and with song titles like, ‘Gallop to Gallup’, ‘Hoppin in Joplin’, ‘Tucumcari Tonite’ and ‘A-L-B-U-Q-U-E-R-Q-U-E’ (we will NEVER forget how to spell that particular New Mexico town), we were set with quality tunes covering all possibilities. How could I have neglected to purchase ‘Is this the way to Amarillo?’ The song was much more popular in Europe than it ever was in America – of course made universally known in the UK by Peter Kay et al for Comic Relief. Here we were in Texas, on our way to Amarillo – and no Tony Christie. What a waste!

The first thing we came across in Texas was The Devil’s Rope Museum. A entire museum dedicated to that most fascinating of topics: Barbed Wire. Yup, it’s true. As you can imagine, we were gutted that it was closed.

Next up, Groom. Here they have a 190 foot high cross, surrounded by 14 life size statues depicting the stations of the cross. We were expecting this to be tacky, but in fact it was incredibly reflective and serene. There was a scene of the Last Supper, along with a hill complete with 3 crosses, Christ in the middle of the 2 thieves.

We moved on to what we knew would be the opposite of here. The Big Texan Motel, famous for its 72oz steak – gluttony and excess – yet fun and typically (or perhaps stereotypically) Texan! If you can eat the 72oz steak plus all the trimmings and a drink in an hour, you get it for free. Needless to say, we left this challenge to those more greedy – I mean – adventurous – than us and settled in to our more than ample meal of quesadillas and a myriad of sides.

Our motel room was suitably tacky with suede shower curtains complete with tassels and saloon doors into the bathroom. Our meal was suitably beige and enormous, and the music was suitably western in style. We loved it. And I have never experienced such a powerful shower – it felt like four million little tiny needles jabbing into your skin – not necessarily pleasant, but impressive water pressure. Texas knows how to do it BIG!

We’d made it to Amarillo – without asking the way a single time, even if we did get lost for well over and hour. There are worse places to get lost than Route 66. Never a dull moment!

We woke up in Missouri, lunched in Kansas and went to bed in Oklahoma. Such is the joy and variety of a Route 66 trip!

The Route 66 Railway Haven in Springfield, MO felt suitably retro, with old gas pumps in the courtyard and vintage cars in the forecourt.

We were eager to get on the road today – we had a lot to see. We set off, and not half an hour later we arrived at a Sinclair garage where we pulled over in the spur of the moment to take some pictures.

To our surprise, we were met by an older man who introduced himself as Gary – he was such a character – full of life and passionate in a big way about the Mother Road. He brought out a flag and took pictures of us by his garage – he is SO proud of his garage which he built up and restored himself.

For the next 30 minutes, Gary took the time to show us around his incredible space, complete with vintage cars, Old Road memorabilia and Bonny and Clyde statues (yup – he had all sorts!). He told us stories from his life (an incredibly rich and varied tale) and from his time on the road. He spoke of the people that he meets from all over the world – his whole life now is all about meeting Route 66 travellers.

He gave us some Route 66 soda to keep and encouraged us to pose in one of his old vehicles:

He gave us a signed image of his garage and introduced us to Lena, his wife, in the little office which was crammed to the rafters with memorabilia and Route 66 artifacts.

We loved the old cars at the place – they really do have a funny kind of beauty now that they are past their useful life.

This little place was pure magic. Gary is a true legend of the Road – welcoming us with open arms, spending time telling stories and listening to ours. He is so proud of his little patch on this earth and delights in meeting those who happen across it. He is genuinely passionate about his life, his family and the people that he meets. This is what a Route 66 trip is all about. If you do this trip – stop here. It is one of the highlights of our journey. You can check out Gary’s website here and maybe you’ll even spot some of our other pictures on his site (our pics are here on the second page of the photo section on the bottom 2 rows).

Despite the fact that we could have stayed here all day chatting with Gary and learning about the road (he really is a wealth of information!), we had a lot of travelling left to do so had to move on.

The road in Missouri is a real mixture of the old and rusty:

And the old and grand:

This is the Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage, MO, which was built in 1894 and is a beautiful (if somewhat unexpected)structure in a sweet little town of otherwise squat and very ordinary looking buildings.

Before long, we found ourselves driving through Joplin, MO and crossing the State line into Kansas. Route 66 runs a mere 13 miles across the south-east corner of Kansas, through Galena, Riverton and Baxter Springs – all towns with lots of closed down businesses and shops. We passed through on a Sunday, and so had little hope of finding anything open. We thought we may have to stop for lunch in a worldwide chain (such as the dreaded McDonald’s, which we really didn’t want to do!).

However, in Galena sits a little gem: Cars on the Route.

We were delighted to find that the little shop and restaurant was open and serving food. It was lunchtime by now and were more than a little peckish. Formerly known as 4 Women on the Route, the place is now under new management (and open on Sundays), and is one of the most friendly places we stopped at along the whole route. They even let us use their Wifi so that I could FaceTime my sister back in the UK (she loves the Wizard of Oz and all things Kansas).

The old tow truck outside (now complete with cartoon eyes) served as the original inspiration for the character ‘Tow Mater’ in Disney Pixar’s ‘Cars’- and the owners of Cars on the Route are maximising that famous link. And why not? We had a simple but delicious burger lunch here, and then reluctantly had to head off. It was good to support this little business in what was otherwise almost a ghost town (although things are picking up, thanks in no small part to the ambition of 4 women who restored this old garage with the aim of breathing life into their town once more – a job well done!).

Our very brief sojourn in Kansas was over, and we departed towards Oklahoma, our 3rd state of the day.

The first highlight we hit in Oklahoma was the 9ft highway, or the ribbon road, just outside Miami, OK. This section of the road was built in 1922 when the costs of paving the Route were piling up – someone had a brainwave that paving half the road should cost half as much – you can’t fault the logic, even if it is a crazy idea. You can still drive this section of the road, even though it was decommissioned many years ago.

And then came one of the most famous and possibly most kitschy icons of Route 66: The Blue Whale of Catoosa. The whale was the brainchild of Hugh Davis, who built it in the 1970s as an anniversary present to his wife. It took 2 years to build and is now owned by Hugh’s daughter and it’s still open to the public.

We love this unique roadside attraction. It’s such a peaceful place, a true respite from the road. We sat by the still water for a while, walked inside and climbed up the whale, and took a welcome breather. Although the pond itself is no longer in use, we could imagine the water full of children playing, sliding off the whale and jumping off his tail. What a fun thing. And of course, it’s HUGE!

Once again, time was against us, and we had to go back onto the Interstate once we had got through Tulsa. It was our first wedding anniversary after all, and we had a nice hotel and a lovely meal waiting for us in Oklahoma City. We’d had a great day – in a very different way from the same day the year before – when we said ‘I will’ on a sunny autumn day in Nottingham.

After being welcomed to the Oklahoma City hotel by a group of Oklahoman guests, singing a complete rendition of the title song from the musical ‘Oklahoma’ (I so wish I had that on video – it was priceless), we settled in to our beautiful Anniversary Meal, tired but very happy.

The plan for the day was to make it to Springfield, MO before nightfall. Springfield is known as the ‘Birthplace of Route 66’ thanks to a chap called Cyrus Avery.

When Congress requested a route from West to East, Avery argued that it should avoid the Rockies, and suggested the familiar route that we all know today. This was accepted and given the title Route 60. To cut a long story short, the State of Kentucky disagreed with Avery, and wanted to join their Route 62 with Avery’s 60 and number the whole route ’62’. Avery didn’t feel that ’62’ was an inspiring number, discovered that ’66’ was free and in 1926 in Springfield, MO, his suggested Chicago to Los Angeles highway route was designated ‘Route 66’. A legend was born!

Appropriately, we began our day by visiting the Gateway Arch, a memorial to Westward Expansion on the banks of the Mississippi River.

The Gateway Arch in St Louis is one of those landmarks that you can spot from a million different places from around the city, but somehow we still managed to get lost on our way to the parking area. I kept missing the turning and although we could see our target, we just couldn’t get to it!

Eventually, we sussed it out and we got free parking as we had an ‘America is Beautiful’ card from our previous trip in the USA. Win!

You go into the arch from underneath it, where there is a well thought out museum outlining the history of the westward expansion of the United States. It felt a little strange looking around thinking of thousands of Native Americans being displaced from their lands by the settlers, but no one can deny the beauty and structural awesomeness of this landmark celebrating Westward Expansion.

You go up inside the arch in little pods, resembling ‘Star Trek-esque’ toilets that (just) fit 5 people. For 4 rather awkward minutes, several total strangers share that tiny little space filling the air with niceties. I asked the people where they were from – and then clearly when their answer meant very little to me, I received a free American geography lesson. These unusual little lifts are placed at number 5 of the World’s 18 Strangest Elevators here if you are mechanically inclined and interested in such things!

The arch is 630ft tall, and the observation deck provides magnificent views both eastwards across the Mississippi, and westwards in our direction of travel towards California thousands of miles away. If you want more (very detailed) information about the arch (including the complicated maths that allow it stand up and not get blown over!), you can read about it here.

My mathematically challenged brain preferred to simply take in the views from the top and gaze westwards where the rest of our trip would unfold. This is the view looking out of the East side of the monument over the Mississippi:

And the western view, complete with the shadow of the impressive arch.

Our next stop was the Old Chain of Rocks bridge. I know, I know, this seems a little backwards. However, we missed this bridge the day before due to meeting with our friends, and didn’t want to continue our journey without ‘officially’ entering Missouri the old fashioned way!

This bridge, a mile long crossing the Mississippi, is now closed to traffic. However, it’s still possible to walk along this impressive structure, complete with its unusual 22 degree bend in the middle.

And there are some Old Road artifacts along the bridge too (you can buy the following picture here).

And so, we entered Missouri on the Old Road.

Our next stop turned out to be a mistake given our short timeframe. Meramec Caverns is possibly the most advertised cave (or series of caves) in the entire world (I just made that up, but it felt true at the time). As you drive along Route 66 in Missouri (a large portion of which runs alongside I-44), there are countless billboards alerting you to the awesomeness of the Caverns.

In and of themselves, the caverns are beautiful; an incredible system of caves running a length of over 4.5 miles, an estimated 400 million years old, and with a rich human history: providing shelter for the Native Americans, being the first cave system to be explored by the Europeans during Westward expansion, and allegedly used as a hideout by the outlaw Jesse James (despite there being little to no evidence that this actually happened, it is the main tourist selling point of the caverns today, it would seem). As an interesting side note, the guy who first opened the caverns to the public as a tourist attraction, apparently an innovative advertiser himself, invented the bumper sticker to advertise the caverns (again, there is evidence to the contrary on this point, but it seems that he did indeed go around the car park of the attraction attaching an advertising sticker to the bumpers of visitor’s cars).

So, whilst there is an inherent beauty and fascinating history about the caves, it doesn’t lend itself to a 2 week tour of Route 66. It takes nearly 2 hours to go around, costs $20 each, and the use of lights, music and fake Jesse James artifacts dotted about (to quote our tour guide, ‘This isn’t a real Jesse James dish, someone found it outside and thought it would look nice in the cave so cleaned it up and brought it down here’ – I’m not even kidding) added a tackiness that we couldn’t get past. It felt like a waste of ‘road time’ and we had to catch up on the Interstate to make it to Springfield by nightfall.

Despite all of this, it is probably one of the stories we have told the most! Isn’t it always the way? The entrance to the cave should have given us a clue to the tone of the rest of the visit:

Cave Neon. My favourite. Next we were introduced to a series of rooms that had been creatively named. There was the Hollywood Room, where they had once filmed an episode of Lassie (complete with small cardboard studio portrait of the famous dog). The Crystal Ballroom (very beautiful):

The Subterranean Garden (which was basically the Crystal Ballroom magically transformed by means of the flick of a switch and some coloured lights).

The grand finale was priceless – we were seated in a small auditorium in a cave nicknamed ‘The Theatre Room’. A beautiful formation was in front of us, which loosely resembled the curtain in a theatre. We were played 2 musical numbers, while our guide stood behind us audibly flicking noisy switches to time a light show to the music. The second track, ‘God Bless America’ was even more epic than the first, and concluded with the projection of the American flag at the top of the curtain.

Overall, the Meramec Caverns are beautiful. If you’re staying for any length of time in Missouri, or have longer to travel the Route, go along and enjoy the ride – there are other things to do in the near vicinity too, so it could make for a fun (yet pricey) family day out. As a necessary appendage to a Route 66 tour – not so much. It takes too long, costs too much and is cheerfully tacky. The cave would stand alone as a stunning attraction without the added man made features and would be well worth a visit if you could pop in and tour it at your own pace (in our case, quickly).

We emerged into the fading sunshine far later than we would have liked and continued on our journey. We drove through the charming little towns of Bourbon and Cuba (with its Mural City and the famous Wagon Wheel Motel).

Fanning, MO was next, complete with World’s Largest Rocking Chair – totally ridiculous but great fun. We loved it. There’s also a big trading post here where you can pick up all kinds of Route 66 memorabilia.

Finally, we made it to Springfield – where it all began. In 1926, Cyrus Avery and his colleagues named the road Route 66 here. In 2013, two Brits from Nottingham arrived in the town after dreaming of travelling down the iconic Mother Road. And we are just 2 of thousands from all over the world who have been caught up in all the ’66 has come to represent. I wonder if Mr Avery had any idea what he was starting!

Leaving the city behind, we set off on the open road – the State of Illinois was beckoning and we were up for exploring.

Route 66 crosses Illinois over 300 miles – and we had 1 day to do it. We were meeting friends in St Louis at 8.30pm, so we were on a timetable. Trouble is, there is SO much to see on the Illinois stretch of 66. If we were to do it again (and we may well), we would take longer over this magnificent State with its historical links and Route 66 landmarks.

Not long after we set off, we reached the first roadside attraction – The Launching Pad and the Gemini Giant. Unfortunately, the Launching Pad has now closed down, but we pulled over to take a couple of snaps.

Originally made as an advertising tool, this has since become a Route 66 icon and has outlived the restaurant it sits outside. Hopefully he will remain on the Route for many years to come.

Along the initial stretch of road, there are so many derelict gas stations and old cars left behind to decay – but there is a strange beauty in these things – something that speaks of a bygone era – gone but not forgotten. The cars and buildings have lost their useful purpose, but stand as a testament to the history of the road.

There are also those stunning restored gas stations too – they are well worth a look. These have a different kind of beauty to them – their usefulness transformed into little shops and roadside stops like this Standard Oil gas station in Odell, IL – now a National Historic Site.

Other gas stations have been transformed in more inventive ways!

For large sections of the road in Illinois, the railroad is on your left and the Interstate is on your right. When the road curves away from the Interstate, you can see sections of the ‘Old old road’ that are now closed – with weeds and grasses growing up – so tempting to drive on it – but we refrained.

Then we came to the first larger town since Chicago – Pontiac. We parked up and walked into the centre. A chap came walking past us, stopped and introduced himself as Bob – Mayor of Pontiac. He was so friendly and obviously noticed that we were from out of town. He was so proud of Pontiac and told us the things to see and do – he guided us towards a coffee place called Lydia’s Cup, where we enjoyed a rest from the driving. We really liked Pontiac a lot – a lovely friendly place with lots to see.

We stopped at this old school bus, converted into a mobile home by a guy named Bob Waldmire whose whole life had been creating art up and down Route 66. Sadly, he passed away a few years ago – but he lives on through his art and his vehicles, which are both displayed in Pontiac.

Can you imagine living in that?!

They also have a great Pontiac museum where you can see Pontiacs from every era all shiny and well looked after.

Time was really getting on – and we still had a LONG way to drive to get to the restaurant. Before long, we met the halfway point of the route in Illinois – Funk’s Grove. The Funk family have been making Maple Sirup (yup, that’s how they spell it!) since 1824. That is a LOT of sirup. We stopped here for a few minutes, admired the shop and duly bought a little bottle of the sweet stuff to take home. All along the route we felt the compulsion to support the local businesses that rely on passing trade from those travelling the Mother Road. Although it’s only a small gesture – a few dollars – I want these places to be there for future visitors.

Not long after this, we got to Atlanta, IL and our 2nd giant of the day – this one holding a huge hotdog. Atlanta was another lovely little town – we were sad that we didn’t have time to stop there for longer. A quick snap of the giant and off we went again.

Next up was the State Capital, Springfield. Before we began our trip we had watched the movie ‘Lincoln’ so that we had a better idea of the history attached to this city. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and arrived too late to go inside Abraham Lincoln’s home – but we had a little walk around the historical district and tried to imagine what life would have been like when Lincoln lived here.

The roads were gravel and the pavements (or sidewalks if we want to be accurate about it) were made of wooden boards. It was amazing to think that one of the most famous American Presidents walked these streets and went about his daily business here before his life changed forever.

By now, it was 6pm and we still had 100 miles to drive before we arrived in St Louis to meet our friends. We had to get a wriggle on – and that meant that we had to miss out some of the proper route in favour of the Interstate. Gutted.

Before we hit the main road, there was one more thing I wanted to see. A red brick paved section of Route 66 on what is now numbered US Route 4. The section is just north of Auburn, IL and is a short loop of the old road only 1.5 miles long that was re-routed in the 1930s.

The sun was now beginning to set so we sped off and joined the Interstate (boo) so that we made it on time to meet our friends and then cross over the Mississippi River to our hotel in St Louis.

We had traversed Illinois in a day. I think you need to take longer in this beautiful state. There is so much to see on the road, and a stay in Springfield, IL is definitely recommended so that you can take in some American history. But we’d had a great day and Illinois had whet our appetite for the remainder of our journey. It was the end of a marvellous first day on the road. Next stop Missouri.

So – you’re off to travel Route 66 and flying into Chicago. Fantastic! Route 66 begins in the Windy City, and it is so worth spending a couple of nights here to at least see some of the sights. This is not a comprehensive guide to all that Chicago has to offer. Here’s our guide of things to do if you have 1 full day in Chicago before you hit the road:

1. Take the ‘L’ train

No trip to Chicago is complete without a ride on the iconic Elevated train. Made famous from countless movies, it’s a kind of transport unique to us Brits. It really makes you feel a part of the city, it’s a great way to get around and it’s cheap too! We loved it.

2. Eat a meal with live Jazz piano playing

This is the very piano that we listened to in the Rosebud Prime restaurant where we ate on our first night in Chicago. I’d love to say that we sought out the best jazz Chicago had to offer, but in reality we found the restaurant closest to our hotel. We were delighted that there was live music – it really made the atmosphere – even if we were a little under-dressed for the venue. The food was great (we could only afford the bar menu – tee hee), and we were treated to a monster electrical storm as we left the restaurant. It was a fab evening.

3. Have breakfast at Lou Mitchell’s

Lou Mitchell’s is on Jackson Boulevard at the original starting place of Route 66. It’s become something of a tradition for those travelling the Mother Road to start with breakfast at Lou Mitchell’s. Lou’s opened in 1923 and Route 66 opened 3 years later. They have been serving food to travellers for 90 years! We had the most amazing breakfast there – each person gets a little packet of Milk Duds and you get prunes and orange for free with your food too. We didn’t have to eat for the rest of the day. Superb.

4. Check out Union Station

The beautiful Great Hall of Chicago Union Station is well worth a visit – it really is stunning – and puts you right back into the 20s when it was built. It has featured in lots of movies – Darren’s favourite is The Untouchables, set in 1920s Chicago in the Al Capone era of the city starring Kevin Costner (that movie with the famous ‘pram down the stairway’ scene). And considering it’s a railway station, it was actually quite a peaceful place!

5. Get a photo with the Route 66 ‘Begin’ sign

This is where it all begins. Over the years, new one way systems have been introduced in Chicago, and so the original start on Jackson Boulevard has now been moved to Adams Street. You can head west from there. This picture marked the start of our adventure – it was so exciting looking up at that sign and imagining what lay between us and the end sign all the way west in California.

6. Head to Millennium Park and ‘The Bean’

This incredible sculpture nicknamed ‘The Bean’ (its official name is ‘Cloud Gate’) appears completely seamless and plays around with light, bending it this way and that and reflecting a very different view of the city back at itself. You can just about see Darren in the bottom right hand corner of the 2nd picture. Part of what I loved about Chicago is the accessibility of its art. This piece is so tactile and encourages interaction. You can walk around it and under it – you can touch it and experiment with what the different curves do to your own reflection. It’s great fun.

7. Check out the Chicago Tribune Building

This building is scattered with 149 stone fragments from other buildings from across the world that were deemed historically or politically important by the reporters who brought them back to Chicago. You can find fragments from Westminster Abbey (pictured) and the Houses of Parliament, as well as places like the Berlin Wall and President Lincoln’s home in Springfield, IL. It’s loads of fun checking out all the different buildings that are featured – and the building’s neo-gothic architecture is truly stunning.

8. Take a stroll down the Magnificent Mile

The Magnificent Mile is Chicago’s largest shopping area – but is also home to the beautiful Chicago Water Tower and some of the tallest buildings in America (such as Trump Tower). You’ll also find the Tribune Building on this stretch.

9. Rest those weary legs on the shores of Lake Michigan

By the time we made it to Lake Michigan, we were really ready for a sit down. We found a nice tree to sit under and gazed out at the huge lake that makes Chicago feel like a city by the ocean. It was very peaceful here, and the surrounding area is all parks and cycle tracks and sculptures. If it wasn’t for the skyscrapers lining the waterfront, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in a small seaside village rather than the second city in the USA.

10. Grab a coffee on Navy Pier

We were gasping for a coffee and we stopped off at Bubba Gump Shrimp on Navy Pier. The sun had started to come out by now and the humidity levels were very high. We sat inside at the bar and got quizzed on Forrest Gump by barman John (the whole place is themed on the movie – and me being a huge Forrest Gump and Tom Hanks fan, that suited just fine). It was really a fun place and the service was impeccable. Navy Pier has many other options for meals and drinks and it’s a great walk down the pier with the attractions and amusements.

11. Go up to the Skydeck in Willis Tower

The Willis Tower (formally the Sears Tower) has 3 platforms that jut out from the building over 1300ft from ground level. It really is the most peculiar feeling. I’m in no way scared of heights (this is not a thing to do if you’re scared of heights!), but my brain was shrieking at me not to step out on the ledge. A totally counter-intuitive experience, it was really quite exhilarating. I got used to it after a while, but there are plenty of photos of me gingerly stepping out onto the ledge. Well worth the time spent here – we loved it. And you get great views of Chicago!

12. See the Chicago Theatre all lit up

I just had to get a picture of the iconic Chicago Theatre at night – unfortunately, I was unwell in the evening so Darren braved the dark unknown streets (what a hero!) to get this picture. I love it.

13. Go to bed tired & happy, excited for the road ahead.

So there you have it – a whistle stop tour of Chicago in just one day – and most of it was absolutely free (there is a fee for the Willis Tower – and food always costs money of course). We had a superb day, saw many of Chicago’s highlights, and we went to bed that night tired but happy – and extremely excited about hitting the road in the morning.

When we decided to drive Route 66, we didn’t really know much about it – only that it was a long drive, and Billy Connolly had done it on TV (check out his DVD here). Having done it (and we would do it again!) we can see why people want to drive this iconic American road. So here are our 10 reasons why it’s so worth driving the whole of Route 66.

It’s EPIC! The road spans 2451 miles (give or take) and crosses 8 States from Illinois in the Midwest to California on the Pacific coast.

2. It mostly skips the Interstate. Leave the monotony behind and venture out into lesser seen, small town America – the well trodden paths of the past. Sometimes, you find yourself in between the Interstate and Railroad being overtaken by trucks and trains whilst you sit back and cruise the open road!

3. You follow in the footsteps of American history. As westward expansion has taken place, thousands of people have trodden the path – from the Native Americans in the 1830s along the Trail of Tears when they were displaced from their lands, to the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s where families up and left their homes seeking a better life in golden California – the promised land of jobs and prosperity. From the road’s heyday in the 1950s and 60s where American families took to the road to holiday in the west, to the decline of the route (and a large proportion of the towns along the way) in the 1970s as the Interstate was born and people wanted a more direct route across America.

4. There are ghost towns! Along the way you find deserted towns that once thrived with travellers – now left as merely a reminder of the ‘good old days’.

5. There are thriving small towns too! Don’t worry – it’s not all death and decay of small town America. There are so many superb, friendly and vibrant places to stop and grab a coffee or a bite to eat. Small town America is in many ways the best of America! This picture is Darren and I in Winslow, AZ – a little town with an active population, small businesses and bit of tourism thrown in for good measure.

6. There are awesome diners all over the place! You don’t have to drive far to experience that most iconic of American ideas – the roadside diner. There are so many good ones along the route – trouble is you can’t stop at all of them for a coffee or it would take you a year to travel the road (plus the toilet stops would get incredibly tiresome after a while!). Our favourite diner was in Albuquerque – a proper 1950s affair complete with 1950s music and Route 66 memorabilia. The food was great too!

7. You meet fascinating people. There are so many people we met along the way who enriched our journey – there was Bob the Mayor of Pontiac, Gary and his wife Lena at their restored gas station in Missouri and Pete on the train to Santa Fe to name but a few. Each of them had great stories to tell of their lives that are so far removed from our own. The picture below is of me with Gary and Lena. They’re in their late 80s and are passionate about Route 66. Rather worryingly, Lena and I had matching shoes! You can check out their website here (and you may just spy some of our other photos from our visit with Gary there too!).

8. You get a taste of the diversity of America. This trip has it all. You have the metropolis of Chicago, the plains of the Ozarks through Missouri and Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle, the joining Native American, Spanish and Western cultures of New Mexico, the deserts of Arizona and California and the beachfront city of Santa Monica. The sheer size of the country is staggering and each State is like a different country with different laws and landscape, culture and character. Travelling across the US from East to West is a constant journey of discovery.

9. There are so many quirky roadside attractions! From the Gemini Giant in Illinois to the Largest Rocking Chair in Missouri. From the Blue Whale of Catoosa in Oklahoma to the countless murals all along the route – there’s always something to make you jump out of the car for a break to gaze in wonder at the craziness of it all! This is a picture of the Largest Rocking chair – you can just about spot Darren at the bottom left!

10. It’s about the journey, not the destination. Yeah, I know it’s a cheesy line – but isn’t that the spirit of all the best road trips? Route 66 is made for road tripping – even though each day’s destination town is great in itself, the best bits are more often than not along the way. That little town. This coffee shop. That roadside attraction. This meal. It’s those moments that leave a lasting impression on you, those small surprises that you weren’t expecting, the people that you meet. It truly is the journey that makes travelling Route 66 from Chicago to LA the trip of a lifetime! I’m so glad we did it. Add it to your bucket list today!